Monday, March 30, 2015

The good news: Percussionist extraordinaire Glen "Bob" Allen -- my friend, collaborator (in the Floor Models and much more) and musical director for over three decades ---

--- and who currently does backbeat duties for The French Cookin' Blues Band, was recently inducted, along with the rest of said group, into the New York City Blues Hall of Fame.

Here's a song TFCBB did at the induction ceremony.

The bad news: While attempting to cross the street on the way to his day job last week, two shitheads in a van ran into Glen, knocking him down and fracturing his right wrist in three separate places. Glen won't be able to play for a while, probably not until after some major corrective surgery, and at the moment he's in serious pain and more than a little irked.

Please send some good thoughts his way, and let's hope that he can return to pounding those pagan skins ASAP.

Friday, March 20, 2015

[This one originally ran in 2009, which for some reason now lost in the mists of time was the high point of my I Hate Smashing Pumpkins period. In any case, I've done a little rewriting, added a new entry, and most important changed some of the permissible parameters, if you will pardon the alliteration. Please enjoy, if at all possible.

Oh, and I'll have something to say about the sad news regarding the Left Banke's Michael Brown on Monday. --S.S.]

Best or Worst Post-Elvis Song or Record With a One Word Title!!!

Self-explanatory, I think, but I should add that any one word title comprised of the names of men and women or those of geographical places is disqualified. So, fuck you, CSNY and "Ohio." Blow me, Sue Thompson and "Norman."

Okay, with that out of the way here's my totally top of my head Top Ten:

10. Collective Soul -- Gel

A great kick-ass rock song featuring a lead singer who I always found charmingly unhinged. Plus, let's face it, "Let's gel" is possibly the most imaginative sexual euphemism since the young John and Paul wrote "Thinking of Linking."

9. Madonna -- Cherish

Not the crappiest or most reprehensible Madonna single -- that would be most of the others -- but I for one have never forgiven it for sullying the good reputation of 60s hit of the same name by The Association.

8. Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs -- Stay

I actually prefer the completely over the top cover by the Four Seasons, but everybody is probably sick to death of my carrying on about those guys. In any case, the original is one of the sublime glories of early rock, and at a terse 1:39 an obvious candidate for All Time Best Single Under Two Minutes Long.

7. The Beatles -- Help!

C'mon -- according to George Martin, they learned the title of the movie was going to be Help! on Monday, they wrote the song on Tuesday, and they had figured out the entire arrangement and recorded it by the end of Wednesday. It doesn't get any more brilliant.

6. The Rolling Stones -- Think

The Aftermath song the Stones had previously given to Chris Farlowe, who had the hit. One of the best of the early Jagger-Richards collaborations, I think, and the riffage between the acoustic guitar and the fuzz electric is inspired and haunting.

5. Smashing Pumpkins -- Disarm

Still not a fan of this band, and Billy Corgan remains one of the most pompous putzes in the popular music field, but this is really good nonetheless. The Pumpkins waxing anthemically White Album-ish, and quite convincingly too, I think.

4. Fleetwood Mac -- Tusk

The original of this is Lindsay Buckingham at his most wacky and wonderful, but I still think this MST3K sort-of version is the best one evah.

3. The Loud Family -- Aerodeliria

My favorite song from perhaps my favorite album of the 90s, and only one of the reasons PABARAT was the only genuinely psychedelic experience legally available in that decade. And if you've ever heard the EP they did right after, you know these bastards could nail the damn thing live.

2. The Moody Blues -- Stop

The follow-up to "Go Now," and in some ways even more sad and beautiful; Denny Laine really is one of the most underrated figures of the British Invasion.

And the all-time coolest one word song, it's so obvious why are we even discussing this, is --

1. Soupy Sales -- Pachalafaka

Pachalafaka, pachalafaka
They whisper it all over Turkey
Pachalafaka, pachalafaka
It sounds so romantic and perky
Oh, I know that phrase
Will make me thrill always
For it reminds me of you, my sweet
Just the mention of
That tender word of love
Gives my heart a jerkish, Turkish beat

I won't say c'est si bon
Or l'amour toujours
For they can't express what I'm feeling
Even mairzydoats or
Other foreign quotes
Don't seem to be quite so appealing
But pachalafaka! pachalafaka!
Takes me back with you to passionate desert scenes
And it's there we'll stay
Till the very day
We find out what pachalafaka means!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Going to be dealing with doctors for the next several days (nothing life threatening, just annoying) so I probably won't be able to post till Monday. (Although I'm gonna try to get a Weekend Listomania's Greatest Hits up for Friday. No promises, however.)

And may I just say, and for the record, that this getting old shit really sucks.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Specifically, The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson's first album masterpiece; The Beach Boys Today.

Originally released on March 8, 1965.

I've nattered on about this album -- the band's Rubber Soul, IMHO -- on numerous prior occasions in the several centuries I've been posting at this here blog, so I won't bore you with any lengthy exegesis at this juncture.

That said, however, those that know me best are aware that finding true stereo versions of the songs from Today -- the official release of which has always been in mono, for well known reasons -- has been something of a Holy Grail for me. And that a few years ago, after haunting various illegal download sites, I was able to actually construct a complete true stereo edition. (Some of the tracks were from official Beach Boys compilations; others were from early or not quite finished mix versions leaked online for hardcore fans. And no, I didn't bother to find a stereo version of "Bull Session With the Big Daddy." I may be obsessive, but I'm not nuts).

In any case, because I love you all more than food, here are genuine stereo versions of two of the most exquisite (if not the most celebrated) songs on the album, both of which provide ample proof of Brian's early songwriting prowess and studio mastery.

"Kiss Me Baby."

"Please Let Me Wonder."

Words, as I am often wont to say, fail me about the sheer gorgeousness of those two. Suffice it to add that anybody who listens to them and doesn't grok that Brian is my generation's Gershwin really needs to have it looked at.